The flexibility to grow several revenue streams

Independent Locksmiths & Security was started in 1971 by Michael McGovern in the traditional man-in-a-van style, with partner Stephanie taking care of customer calls and invoicing at home.

Today however, the family-run organisation employs 64 staff and is leading the security industry through their development of several brands under the one roof - bringing state of the art technology to the security trade in Australia.

This is their story.

The inception of the Master Locksmiths Association

Michael McGovern has been at the forefront of the security industry since the early days. His initial involvement, through work with his company, Independent Locksmiths & Security, saw him step into the role of president of the Master Locksmiths Association NSW, and bring better order and regulation to the industry.

A family driven venture

As time went on, Michael and Stephanie's three son's, Ryan, Sean and Keiran, eventually joined the business after starting their careers in other areas.

The three boys all now have management roles within the family business, with Ryan as GM of Electronic Security, Sean as GM of Locksmithing and Keiran as a Locksmith Sales Manager.

Making the most of security technology

The eldest son, Ryan, joined the business 15 years ago, bringing with him a new set of skills to the business, not as a tradesman, but with a mind for business development and technology.

Ryan has since created two new brands and products while working for Independent Locksmiths: SecCloud, an Access Control and Building Automation system, and SecWatch, a Virtual Guard service.

“simPRO gives us the flexibility to grow the company, and to grow into different revenue streams.” Ryan McGovern, GM of Electronic Security - Independent Locksmiths & Security

SecCloud and SecWatch are managed using simPRO’s multi-company facility. So, Independent Locksmiths & Security are able to manage the two sub-brands with separate ABN’s and separate invoicing all within simPRO, giving the business the ability to grow multiple income streams.

What did they use before?

The Independent Locksmiths & Security of today is a far cry from the business that used to duplicate paper copies of each job card and then circulate them around the warehouse, the workshop, out to the field and back again.

The new process

Nowadays there is very little paperwork involved in the process. The same data recorded from the initial quote is carried through to the job, to the field and to the invoice electronically, using simPRO’s cloud-based software - no more duplicating.

For service management, Ryan likes to have simTRAC on one screen, scheduling on another and the Jobs list on a third, all coming together to create situational awareness of the status of each job in real time.

Independent Locksmiths & Security carries out work nationwide. They use the network of fellow Master Locksmiths members and of course, the simPRO Contractor Portal, to track and manage these jobs remotely.

Financial clarity

Owners Michael and Stephanie now enjoy having clarity when it comes to profit margins; knowing what profits are being made according to each employee, job, client and per site. With such knowledge, management are able to make strategic decisions on how to proceed.

Apprentice of the year award

When Zach Winslade joined the team as an apprentice, Sean McGovern, General Manager of Locksmithing at Independent Locksmiths & Security says he stood out.

Zach has since gone on to win the John Andrews Apprentice of the Year Award.

Winning the award meant Zach and his mentor, Keiran McGovern, took off on a fully funded trip to tour the world class facilities of Silca in Italy and Abus in Germany, two of Independent's largest suppliers. Zach has since been promoted to Workshop Foreman.

Servicing commercial, industrial and domestic clients for over 40 years, Independent Locksmiths & Security are a leading Sydney Commercial Locksmith. 20 Technicians operate across the Sydney Metropolitan area and we service clients nationally. Restricted Master Key Systems, Safes and Locks.